Around 700 aces of the Messrs Jenkinson Farm are given over to an arable rotation each year. Crops are grown, maintained and harvested entirely by the Jenkinson team using the farm's fleet of wholly-owned top specification Claas and John Deere tractors and machinery.
Livestock feed provision is a key consideration in deciding what is grown on the holdings. The key crops are Winter Wheat, Oilseed Rape and Winter and Spring Barley. As a result, the farm is almost self-sufficient in feed production, with a surplus of Wheat, Barley and Oilseed Rape being sold on the open market.
Jenkinson's arable farming activities benefit extensively from the latest integrated GPS-referenced IT. Variations in soil nutrient balance are highlighted through targeted analysis by the farm's agronomist. Evidence of disease or lack of nutrients is pinpointed within a specific area of a field and targeted directly with cutting-edge computercontrolled variable rate spreading technology.
Applied in conjunction with manure from the farm's over-wintering stock, this close control of localised fertility helps ensure maximised production, whilst minimising use of agrochemicals and artificial fertilisers; cutting the risk potentially damaging run-off to local water courses.
Centred on providing enough animal feed to make the farm almost self-sufficient throughout the year, Messrs Jenkinson operate an arable crop rotation on around 700 acres of the total 1700 acre holding.
Four complementary plantings are alternated to reduce the stress on the land that monoculture can cause, with surplus product going to market.
Planted in the Autumn to allow it to germinate before the first frosts which make the crop dormant until the soil warms in Spring, Winter Wheat is ready for harvest in mid-late Summer.
The instantly recognisable lemon yellow fields of Rape are today a common sight in the UK. Oilseed rape is grown to provide a vegetable oil that is suitable for use in animal feed, cooking and food processing. Rape oil is also increasingly being processed for use as a biodiesel.
Sown in Autumn, Winter Barley is Messrs Jenkinson's major grain feed crop. Spring Barley is sown in early Spring, similar to Winter Barley, it will typically be ready for harvest around a few weeks later.
Modern minimum tillage cultivation plays an important role in maintaining moisture content and soil structure; breaking stubble into the topsoil to add organic matter and cutting out need for controversial Autumn burning.
Mid-Autumn sees the fields sown with Winter Cereal varieties. Tractors with satellite-controlled steering ensure efficient drilling of seed in good time before the first of the Winter frosts.
When the Winter Barley and Wheat sprouts it's time to apply herbicides to protect the crops from competitive weed species. Careful monitoring by the Farm's agronomist ensures that application of chemicals is kept to the minimum.
Nitrogen, Potash and Phosphate-based fertilisers are spread as the ground starts to warm in Spring; giving the over-Wintered cereal crops an early boost. The carefully targeted GPS-controlled application of fertilisers is kept at optimal levels through regular, close monitoring as the crop starts to grow.
The heat of the Cumbrian Summer sees crops planted in the preceding Autumn rapidly come into maturity. As the seed ripens the fields turn from green to gold signalling the arrival of harvest time.
The last days of Summer bring the harvest before the weather turns. Messrs Jenkinson utilise their own high specification Combine Harvester.
After the grain has been harvested, the Straw is collected and packed into modern high density bales which speed collection time and minimise storage requirements. Straw goes for Winter bedding and feed in the Lambing and Cattle Sheds, with surplus material marketed locally.
Harvested Grain is dried to achieve optimal moisture levels and is kept in the Farm's extensive Stores. Cereals are utilised for Winter Cattle, Sheep and Game Feeds, with any surplus going to market throughout the Winter months.